Jules Shuzen Harris Interview

Jules Shuzen Harris, Sensei is a Zen teacher of the White Plum Asanga, the lineage of the late Taizan Maezumi roshi. A Dharma heir of Pat Enkyo O’Hara roshi, Shuzen is one of the first African-American individuals to have received Dharma transmission in the history of Zen Buddhism. He is founder of Soji Zen Center in Pennsylvania and is also an experienced martial artist. He has studied with various teachers of our times, including Taizan Maezumi-roshi, John Daido Loori-roshi, Dennis Genpo Merzel-roshi, and Pat Enkyo O’Hara-roshi. I would like to thank Shuzen-sensei for taking the time to answer our questions for this interview.

Transcript

For whatever reason, growing up with my paternal grandparents and attending church regularly (which was a requirement), I felt early on that there was something more to life.

I was initiated into spiritualism by a teacher of Mystic Christianity and, from there, I drifted into Yoga. Yoga led me to India where I studied with Kirpal Singh, who died while I was there.

When I returned to the states the Yoga I was studying consisted of meditation, and I found that Buddhism was the closest thing and I soon became involved with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in Barnet, VT. In 1982 I was on a retreat that Maezumi Roshi had been invited to and it was during an interview with Maezumi Roshi that I felt like I was coming home.

Maezumi Roshi sent me to Daido Roshi, who I spent 10 years studying with. From there, I studied two years with Genpo Roshi and subsequently relocated to Salt Lake City, UT and studied with him for six more years. In 2004 I returned to the East Coast and continued practice with Enkyo Roshi, from whom I received transmission.

SZ: I know you have been a longtime practitioner of Iaido and Kendo and wonder where the connection is between the martial arts and Zen? I also would be interested in your take on the state of the martial arts in the West, introduced often as a quite violent and brutal spectator sport, such as we see in mixed martial arts competitions like the UFC.

JSH: Exposure at an early age to the Manchurian Candidate peaked my interest in the martial arts, which led me to read about the Shaolin Temple. According to legend, Bodhidharma was responsible for introducing the martial arts to the monks at Shaolin Temple. From the onset I was interested in traditional martial arts and its emphasis on self-mastery.

The Japanese kanji for martial arts means ‘to prevent conflict’. It is interesting that there is a lack of focus in our culture on the spiritual aspect of the martial arts; we have largely reduced these arts to a sport. For me, it was the traditional connection between the martial arts and Zen that led me to study Iaido (which, loosely translated, means to fit in any situation harmoniously). The mastery of the sword centers on dropping sword, mind and body. Originally, it was not my intention to receive transmission, but rather to bring the Zen perspective to the martial arts.

The same applies with Kendo, even though you have an opponent; the focus is to drop any concern for survival or winning.

In the West we have lost sight of the original intention of the martial arts and it has become a combative sport, on the same level as boxing.

SZ: As one of the first African-Americans to receive Dharma transmission in Zen, following Merle Kodo Boyd I believe, was it ever awkward practicing in centers where the members were predominantly white? Why do you think African-Americans seem to be underrepresented in many of our Western Zen traditions?

JSH: Yes, it was awkward, but not because I was African-American. It was awkward because one of the things you have to do is surrender, drop all your notions about who you think you are and what you are. I never attributed the awkwardness to my being African-American. I was receiving the same training as my dharma sisters and brothers and we were going through this together. I never saw racism as an element, although I have heard from other African-American practitioners that they felt that way.

I think Christianity has provided a much needed support for African-Americans. It has enabled them to survive in this culture and yet, at the same time, it is partially responsible for suppressing the rise of Buddhism in the African-American community. African-American’s who embrace Eastern spirituality are often seen as traitors—defectors from the one true religion.

SZ: In addition to your Zen practice, you are a licensed psychotherapist–a dual credential with a rich presence in Zen practice. You have worked on ways to synthesize Western psychology and Zen for clients, and I wonder if you could explain how for us.

JSH: Teachers from the East really focus on the transpersonal, on transcending the self and focusing on dropping the ego. Often, they are oblivious to the neurosis that Westerners bring to their practice. My experience has taught me that clients have baggage. It’s one thing to experience spiritual opening when you are sitting on a cushion; it is quite another thing when you return home and face issues of unworthiness, emptiness, anger and depression. So, when I work with students the focus is on transformation and together we address what’s hampering them from embodying spiritual insight in their day-to-day life.

SZ: Tell us a bit about your work in Pennsylvania at this time with Soji Zen Center, which you founded. Additionally, I’ll link to your website in the interview.

JSH:

*In conjunction with the NYC Department of Education — a middle school in Brooklyn, NY –I provided two days of meditation instruction to students and then worked with the teachers to show them the benefits of incorporating meditation into their curriculum.

*One of Soji’s members is heading up a homeless group in Philadelphia (30 participants).

*We are providing meditation instruction at the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center. There is a men’s and women’s group.

*Attendees at Soji Zen Center now attract a diverse population which includes: unemployed, homeless, welfare recipients, Asian, African-Americans as well as Caucasians and continues to grow.

*We have stepped up our ‘Introduction to Zen: Beginner’s Mind’ workshop and now are offering it on a monthly basis. Attendance is increasing with each workshop.

*I traveled to South Africa last March and gave a public talk in Cape Town and led a retreat at Robertson Retreat Centre with Helia and Rodney Downey of the Dharma Centre. Heila is the first Afrikaner to receive transmission and I was the first African-American that has received transmission visiting South Africa. I believe this was a very important step in spreading the dharma in South Africa.

*I continue teaching Iaido (the art of drawing and cutting with a samurai sword) weekly on Saturday mornings.

*We held our first off-site sesshin at the end of December. We had a turnout of 23 people and have reserved the same site for next years’ sesshin.

We acknowledge the need for a broader way of helping people. While we are providing spiritual guidance, there are other critical issues that need to be addressed. How can we teach them to feed themselves – people whose greatest goal is to become a ward of the state (receiving disability, social security, welfare, food stamps) perpetuating poverty? Spiritual bypassing, stemming from their childhood, dictates their behavior. Getting a job, after doing time in an institution or being on the street, is a big issue.

I would like to see a program developed to help phase them back into society – all the things that make us produce. A program that would provide the tools to obtain: housing, job training, parenting and employment skills upon their return to mainstream.

I think we can build linkages — especially guiding them toward education — all the things to make them productive and self-sufficient in society.

SZ: What book, or books, would you recommend to someone interested in Zen Buddhism?

About Sweeping Zen

Established in 2009 as a grassroots initiative, Sweeping Zen is a digital archive of information on Zen Buddhism. Featuring in-depth interviews, an extensive database of biographies, news, articles, podcasts, teacher blogs, events, directories and more, this site is dedicated to offering the public a range of views in the sphere of Zen Buddhist thought. We are also endeavoring to continue creating lineage charts for all Western Zen lines, doing our own small part in advancing historical documentation on this fabulous import of an ancient tradition. Come on in with a tea or coffee. You're always bound to find something new.

About Sweeping Zen

Established in 2009 as a grassroots initiative, Sweeping Zen is a digital archive of information on Zen Buddhism. Featuring in-depth interviews, an extensive database of biographies, news, articles, podcasts, teacher blogs, events, directories and more, this site is dedicated to offering the public a range of views in the sphere of Zen Buddhist thought. We are also endeavoring to continue creating lineage charts for all Western Zen lines, doing our own small part in advancing historical documentation on this fabulous import of an ancient tradition. Come on in with a tea or coffee. You're always bound to find something new.

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